CM Punk’s fairytale run as World Heavyweight Champion ended this past weekend in Las Vegas. Roman Reigns defeated The Best in the World for the title in the main event of WrestleMania 42 Night Two.
Punk seemed invincible heading into his championship match against Reigns at The Show of Shows. He bested top names like Bron Breakker and Finn Balor before squaring off against the OTC on The Grandest Stage of Them All. The Second City Saint delivered one of the finest performances of his legendary career against Reigns last Sunday, but he failed to emerge victorious.
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The Best in the World came close to beating The Tribal Chief on many occasions, and he has every reason to be proud of his remarkable work on RAW in the past few months. However, following the conclusion of his World Heavyweight Championship reign, Punk should set his sights on new challenges.
In this article, we will look at four reasons why CM Punk should leave the red brand and join SmackDown after WrestleMania 42.
#4. CM Punk has been a RAW Superstar since his return in 2023
CM Punk returned to WWE in November 2023 at Survivor Series: WarGames and joined the RAW roster. Following an injury at the start of his run, Punk bounced back with a generational rivalry against Drew McIntyre. He won the trilogy against the Scotsman and quickly regained his spot at the top of the mountain.
Since then, Punk has been a top babyface on the red brand. He led RAW into the Netflix era, put over young talents like Bron Breakker, and represented the show as the World Heavyweight Champion for months after Seth Rollins unexpectedly sustained a shoulder injury last year.
Given that he has already achieved everything he could on RAW, Punk should join SmackDown and help the brand regain prominence. The blue brand needs a veteran like The Second City Saint to lead the roster in the post-WrestleMania season.
#3. The Second City Saint has already defeated the top names of RAW
CM Punk seemed set to face Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XL before he sustained an injury at Royal Rumble 2024. He made a triumphant return from injury, defeating Drew McIntyre at Bash in Berlin and Bad Blood. The Best in the World also played a crucial role in The OG Bloodline’s feud against The Bloodline (aka MFT).
Punk entered a heated feud with Seth Rollins at the start of 2025 and defeated him on RAW’s Netflix debut. Following WrestleMania 41, he kicked off a rivalry with Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed of The Vision. He also worked with LA Knight during this period. Last November, The Best in the World beat Jey Uso to capture the World Heavyweight Championship.
As RAW’s top champion, Punk shared the ring with top names like Finn Balor, AJ Styles, and Breakker. Last week, he went to war with arguably the biggest name on the red brand, Roman Reigns. Given The Best in the World’s star-studded catalog on the red brand, he needs new challenges. Hence, he should move to SmackDown to work with fresh faces like Aleister Black and Cody Rhodes.
#2. WWE teased Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk on RAW
Fans have been eagerly waiting to witness Cody Rhodes and CM Punk lock horns since The American Nightmare eliminated The Best in the World to win the 2024 Men’s Royal Rumble Match. However, they have been on different brands in the past two years.
The American Nightmare overcame arguably the biggest obstacle of his Undisputed WWE Title reign when he defeated Randy Orton in the main event of WrestleMania 42. While Orton and Rhodes still have unfinished business, WWE teased a match between The Prodigal Son and The Second City Saint on the RAW after ‘Mania.
CM Punk teased going after the Undisputed WWE Championship this past Monday on RAW. Rhodes quickly responded to The Best in the World and said he was open to a potential title match against him. Many fans believe the segment laid the foundation for the main event of WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia.
The Second City Saint could move to SmackDown if he wants the brand’s top title. He might need to defeat the top names of the blue brand before earning a shot at Rhodes’ championship.
#1. SmackDown needs a top star amid reports of Cody Rhodes’ and Randy Orton’s injuries
Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton are among the top stars of SmackDown. They are embroiled in a heated feud over the Undisputed WWE Championship. At WrestleMania 42, Rhodes sustained an injury and was in concussion protocol. Meanwhile, reports indicated that Orton was “hurting” heading into his title match against The American Nightmare at ‘Mania.
As of this writing, Rhodes’ status remains unclear, and there has been no major update on Orton’s condition. If the duo is forced to be on the sidelines in the coming weeks, WWE would need a megastar to replace them on SmackDown. CM Punk seems like the right candidate to take up that role because he is directionless following his title loss to the OTC at WrestleMania.
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Edited by Pratik Singh
